Course Title: Rural and Regional Planning

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Rural and Regional Planning

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

ARCH1283

City Campus

Postgraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face or Internet

 Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2015

ARCH1284

City Campus

Undergraduate

365H Global, Urban and Social Studies

Face-to-Face

 Sem 2 2008,
Sem 2 2009,
Sem 1 2010,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 2 2014,
Sem 2 2015,
Sem 2 2017,
Sem 2 2018,
Sem 2 2019,
Sem 2 2020,
Sem 2 2021,
Sem 2 2022,
Sem 2 2023,
Sem 2 2024

Course Coordinator: Professor Andrew Butt

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3351

Course Coordinator Email: andrew.butt@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 8.11.31

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

Rural and Regional Planning will introduce you to the social, economic and environmental trends shaping planning policy and practice in rural and regional areas. The course challenges you to explore contemporary planning issues and key theoretical frameworks in rural and regional planning and to use qualitative and quantitative research and policy development to devise planning solutions to explore planning practice in rural and peri-rural regions. It introduces you to conceptual and practical approaches to rural and regional planning at the strategic level; challenges you to assess current planning policies and practices considering current and future trends; and invites an appreciation of planning issues in the dynamic economies, societies and environments that characterise and rural and regional Australia.  

In this course, you will also undertake learning activities/assessment that engage with practice examples and engage with industry through site visits and guest lectures. 

Note: This course may involve field visits outside of Melbourne and may include travels costs. For Flex Term delivery this may include multi-day field visits and accommodation costs. 


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

This course contributes to the following BH108 program learning outcomes: 

PLO1: Demonstrate creativity, critical thinking and innovation when identifying and solving urban and regional problems in diverse contexts and assessing implications of decisions and actions. 

PLO4: Communicate ideas using diverse formats and strategies to academic and professional audiences within and external to the discipline of urban and regional planning. 

If you are taking this course as an option course or as part of a minor, this course will complement the learning outcomes you are developing in your program. 


Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:  

  1. Identify and describe rural regions based on their physical, geographical, land use, environmental, social, economic and cultural characteristics;
  2. Outline and review key contemporary planning challenges and opportunities in rural and regional contexts;
  3. Locate and use credible and reliable quantitative and qualitative data to investigate and describe these issues in a regional and rural context;
  4. Assess policies and strategies and evaluate their relevance and application in planning practice and decision-making;
  5. Effectively communicate strategic planning policies in collaborative settings.  


Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in learning that involves a range of activities including reading resources, lectures, workshops, guest presentations, field visits, group discussion, and group and individual research.  

Delivery may be face-to-face, online or a mix of both. 


Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.  

A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning.  

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on the above learning outcomes. You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

Assessment Tasks

  1. Collaborative Regional Planning Case Study Project (35%) (Linked to CLO 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  2. Field Study Analysis (20%) (Linked to CLO 4 and 5)
  3. Critical Analysis of Rural and Regional Planning Issue (45%) (Linked to CLO 1, 2 and 4)  

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.  

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.